100+ Symbol Meanings in Text Messages

Text messaging has quickly become an easy and convenient way to contact friends and family on the daily. Whether you need to check in on a friend, plan a hangout, or ask your mom to make your doctor’s appointment, texting is the way to go. But with texting comes a whole new language of speaking: emojis and abbreviations. 

Especially with younger generations, text symbols have become widely used in place of longer messages. And sometimes, they take on a meaning all their own. It can be a lot to decipher, especially when your grandma texts you LOL, and you can’t tell if she’s Laughing Out Loud or means to say Lots of Love. 

So, if you’ve ever wondered what text symbols and emoticons mean, this guide is the key to all the answers you seek. 

A Comprehensive Guide to Emojis

Emojis are small symbols of various emotions, people, objects, and more. They act as a way to express your emotions and allow you to communicate visually as well as through words. 

Emojis: Faces

There are a few common emojis to discuss first so you can get your bearings in the wonderful world of small, expressive faces. 

These are some of the most frequently used: 

• 😂🤣- The crying laughing emojis. Used when something is extremely funny to the point of tears. The second is for when things are hysterically funny or when it’s more of a cheeky joke. 

• 😀😃😄😁- The smiley face emojis. Often used when you want to emphasize your happiness or when you’re texting something good. They increase in enthusiasm levels from left to right. Just use what feels right for the situation. 

• 😍- The heart eyes emoji. For when you really love something or someone. It can be romantic, but doesn’t have to be. 

• 😛😝😜🤪- The silly emojis. For making jokes or silly moments. They progress in silliness from left to right. 

• 🥳- The celebration emoji. This is a great one to use when wishing someone a happy birthday or for any other celebratory events. Show that person you’re really happy for their big day. 

• 😭- The crying emoji. This is for when something is extremely sad. Although, contrarily, this emoji has also become popular among Gen Z for expressing laughter as well. So, you may need to know your audience when using this one. 

• 😱🤯- The shocked emojis. Used when something really throws you for a loop. It can also be used to express excitement for something surprising. The second one is literally when your mind is blown. Clever, right?

• 😡🤬👿- The angry emojis. Use sparingly and carefully only when you are truly mad. The second one is literally in place of curse words, so make sure the situation calls for it. 

These entry-level emojis will help you navigate most texting scenarios and social media captions and comments. There can be differences in how the various generations use these emojis, so it’s also good to take that into account when texting adults vs kids. 

As a rule of thumb, adults will typically use the emojis literally; the emotion you see on the emoji’s face is what they will be communicating. Kids/young adults will sometimes use emojis in a more situational way and often with less seriousness. 

Emojis: Symbols and Objects

Other non-facial expression emojis may also be commonly used while texting to emphasize meaning. They can also add a mood or ambiance to the text and are great for festive holidays like Christmas. 

Search your emoji panel to find emojis for every holiday, celebration, and occasion you could dream of. Use the ones that fit the mood of your message to make it fun and unique. 

The Skull Emoji

💀- Specifically, the skull without the crossbones is often used by Gen Z when something is really funny. Like deathly funny. It can also be used for a situation in which something is embarrassing. 

Hands

There is a whole collection of hand emojis you can use to emphasize your point. Most are intuitive, but here are a few common ones: 

🫶- Heart: You are showing someone love or that you appreciate what they said. 

👍👎- Thumbs Up/Down: Approving and agreeing or disapproving and disagreeing. 

🤞- Fingers Crossed: You hope it works out. 

👋- Waving: Say hi or bye with a little wave. 

🙏- Praying Hands: You’re praying for something or someone. 

Hearts

A separate section needs to be devoted to hearts because there are a variety of colors, and while most are interchangeable, it can be tough to decide which color best fits your text. 

❤️- Red Heart: This heart is the most common one. The default. It is often used in romantic situations, but also works for friends and family. If you use the red heart, just be sure that the other person is aware of your relationship to them or that the words in your text clarify your meaning. You can use a heart to thank someone, to show love, or to send well wishes. Really anything positive works. 

💔- Broken Heart: For when something breaks your heart. It can be for romantic reasons or just because something is really sad. If you use this, we hope you’re okay. 

❤️‍🩹- Healing Heart: You’re on the mend. Healing from something that hurt a lot. We also hope you’re okay. 

All Other Heart Colors: Some people like to pick a heart color that resonates with them and use that whenever they use a heart. It’s like having a signature move or catchphrase. But other colored hearts can also be used for friendship or they can coordinate with seasons, holidays, or anything to make your message festive.

Texting Abbreviations and What They Mean

Oftentimes even more confusing than emojis are abbreviations. Because these are just letters and there is no context you can glean from the expression on a face, it might be difficult to figure out these symbol meanings in text. 

Here are some of the most common texting abbreviations and their translations. Sometimes, it can feel like translating another language into English. Also note that while these abbreviations are capitalized here, people will often use them uncapitalized. 

• LOL - Laugh Out Loud: The classic. The original. Use whenever something is very funny. Gen Z will often also use this to diffuse tension in a situation or ensure what they send is not taken too seriously. 

• BRB - Be Right Back: Self-explanatory but usually means they will leave the conversation or be unable to text you for a while until they return soon. 

• OMG - Oh My God: Used when something is shocking, upsetting, or surprising. Gen Z may use this as a transition to begin a new conversation or to express casual shock.

• IDK - I Don’t Know: Used when you’re unsure of something.

• TTYL - Talk To You Later: Similar to “Be Right Back” but this implies a longer break before you will speak again. 

• FYI - For Your Information: You’re informing someone of something they ought to know. Works in formal situations or for a quick update. 

• SMH - Shaking My Head: This is used when something is disappointing. You’re shaking your head because you can’t believe that just happened. 

• ASAP - As Soon As Possible: Used to express urgency for something to happen or be completed. It establishes a timeline and encourages action. This can be used for more formal conversations as well; it’s fairly widely known. 

• BTW - By The Way: This is used conversationally in place of typing the full words. It can also be used to transition the conversation to a new topic. 

• TBH - To Be Honest: Used before confessing something extremely true. It doesn’t have to be a major confession, it just helps transition into something you truly mean. It can also be used before saying something controversial or to communicate your hot take. 

• ROFL - Rolling on the Floor Laughing: For when something is so funny, you may lose knee function and roll on the floor from the sheer hilarity of it. 

• GTG - Got To Go: This is when you have to leave the conversation, but you aren’t implying you’ll be back any time soon. It’s a quick out. 

• BFF - Best Friends Forever: This is used when describing your best friend in the whole entire world. That special person. 

• NBD - No Big Deal: Because sometimes, it’s really not that serious. Used when something is not as significant or pressing as it seems. 

• IKR - I Know Right: Best used when you really agree with something the other person said. 

• IK - I Know: This will typically be written in lowercase and used to substitute “I know” in any sentence. 

• WBU/HBU - What About You/How About You: This is used to ask someone how they feel about something. It’s a great way to continue the conversation. 

• ILY - I Love You: Good for a casual “I love you.”

• TYSM - Thank You So Much: A nice thanks to someone who helped you out. 

• IDC - I Don’t Care: Sometimes you don’t. And that’s okay. 

These are the essential abbreviations to know when texting someone. And if you get comfortable enough with them to incorporate your favorites into your everyday texts, you will find that it is sometimes much more convenient to abbreviate. 

Keyboard Emoticons

The final major category of text symbols is keyboard emoticons. These are makeshift faces and symbols that are made from keyboard symbols. 

Sometimes when you don’t have access to an emoji panel or if you’re texting between an iPhone and an Android that doesn’t have the same emoji capabilities, keyboard emoticons can come to the rescue. Because you’d never want to have a conversation devoid of emojis. That’d be like having unsalted French fries. There’s just no flavor. 

Here is a list of some of the more commonly used keyboard emoticons and what they mean:

• <3 - Heart: This is used in place of a heart emoji. In the same way, you use it when you like or love something or someone. It can be romantic but is often used platonically.

• :) - Smiley Face: A nice smiley face for any positive moment. It is very casual and less aggressively happy than smiley face emojis. Perfect for little moments. 

• :( - Frowny Face: A sad symbol for when things are sad. It can also be used for disappointment. This is not typically used for extremely sad situations; it is more sad casual. 

• :/ - Neutral/Sad Face: This is a neutral, but more sad than happy face. It is also used for disappointment or when things are just generally not it. 

• :0 - Shocked Face: Surprise, shock, gasp. Perfect for any situation you weren’t expecting. 

• ); - Crying Face: The bottom half of a semicolon is used to substitute for a tear. This is for when something is sad but only deserving of one tear. 

• ^-^ - This is the happy face for emoticons. The eyes are turned up like when you squint while smiling. Use for cute and positive scenarios. 

Other Keyboard Symbol Substitutions

There are also basic keyboard symbols you can sub in for real words or phrases. Some symbols with examples of a text in which they’re used include: 

• & - And: Thanks for the gift card & cake. 

• $ - Money: How much $ do I owe you? 

• % - Percent: What % of the total would that be? 

• @ - At: We are meeting @ 7 pm. 

• # - Number: What is your friend’s #? 

• ? - Question: Let me know if you have ?s. 

• + - Plus (can also be used in place of “and”): He asked me 100+ questions about my date.

• 4 - For: I have a surprise 4 you. 

• 2 - To/Too: I will talk 2 you later. 

Short-Form Words

Texting is all about making communication as efficient as possible. And this often means making it as concise as possible. The fewer words the better. 

Here are some common words that may get abbreviated: 

• r - are
• u - you
• y - why
• ur - your/you’re
• urs - yours
• ppl - people 
• rlly - really
• bc - because
• gr8 - great
• cu - see you 
• ig - I guess OR Instagram 
• bf - boyfriend
• gf - girlfriend
• ft - FaceTime

The good thing about short-form words is that usually you can tell pretty easily what the letter or short word is substituting for. Just pronounce the letter/word and typically you can guess the original without much trouble. 

Symbol Texting With a Second Number

Second phone number apps are great to use when texting people you aren’t as familiar with. They provide an additional layer of security by protecting your main number and can help you organize your contacts and filter spam calls. 

Apply your newfound mastery of texting symbols to second number apps like Burner to add a little extra flair to your texts. Try Burner today and explore the emojis and keyboard emoticons that come with it to make texting secondary contacts even more fun. 

So, What Do Symbols Mean in Text? 

As you’ve seen, there are a lot of emojis, abbreviations, and symbols that make texting a whole other language. It can be overwhelming to navigate at first but refer to this guide if you encounter a text symbol where the meaning is unclear. 

And if your specific symbol isn’t here, you can always look it up online. And go with your gut. Not everything is a metaphor, despite what your English teacher would have you believe. Sometimes a smiling emoji really just means they’re happy. 

Sources: 

35 Text Abbreviations You Should Know (and How to Use Them)

A Systematic Review of Emoji: Current Research and Future Perspectives | Frontier

Pragmatic functions of emoji in internet-based communication | Springer